“I want to believe that we will meet again, maybe just as energies, not necessarily cherubim with wings and bare bottoms. There are mysteries and this is a basic one. You’re not going to know the details of this until after you’re  - wait for it – dead!” JoAnn Grose from her ‘You Can’t Eat Ice Cream In the Shower’ blog

For the record, JoAnn died Feb. 7, 2023. Also for the record, chronologically she was 77 years old. She, for the most part, was not aware of her age. At the time of her death, she was in the final stages of planning a family trip to the Grand Canyon for which she stayed up all night hitting “refresh, refresh, refresh” until the lodge she wanted to stay in opened limited reservations online. She was also in the early stages of planning a trip to Iceland next spring for which she had already bought and returned several versions of outrageously puffy outerwear.

On the occasion of her 50^th reunion at Warrior Run High School in 2012, here’s how she described herself in a commemorative yearbook:

“JoAnn Copeland Rhodes Rhetts Grose is a retired trapeze artist. She married each of Liz Taylor's husbands after Liz was through with them except for Mike Todd (there would have been little point). She has 3 daughters (one still in college), 3 granddaughters and 2 grandsons, none of whom appreciate her as they should. Her husband is a retired dairy farmer who thinks there's no point in responding to someone's remark to you unless the first speaker's hair is on fire. Along with her circus work, she wrote for newspapers for 30 years or so, loves to read, cook, ride her horse (also retired from the circus) and her bike (not at the same time, even with her circus background), garden and sing.”

JoAnn was born July 23, 1945, in Boston and grew up with her younger sister, Jill, in Watsontown, Pa. She graduated from Bucknell University in 1967 with a degree in English and Theater, and was awarded a John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University in 1978, an honor of which she was tremendously and justifiably proud.

Among other callings, she was the theater and movie critic for The Charlotte Observer and earned a well-deserved reputation as a shrewd judge of artistry or the lack thereof. She had a keen talent at recognizing both the best and worst in art and people, and called each out emphatically.

You can measure JoAnn’s life by her work, but the best measure of her life was her unique personality. Her generosity. Her relentlessly curious nature. She collected gifts for her friends and family all her life, not to mark a specific event but to send randomly. She took up hobbies voraciously, later in life becoming both an amateur mixologist and learning the cello. She loved fiercely, especially her husband Billy, her daughters Joanna, Alexandra, and Hannah, as well as their families: Joanna’s children, Adam, Ava, and Ashley; Alexandra’s husband Tim and their children, Morgan and Logan; and Hannah’s husband Brooks.

JoAnn loved cooking and especially sharing. There was always a seat at JoAnn’s table and lucky were those fortunate enough to sit around it. The conversation was always thought provoking and the food as comforting as a handmade quilt.

She embraced color in all its forms – clothing, art objects and furniture. Sequins, all of them. Sprinkles, the more the better. She wore colorful tutus to exercise class. She reveled in her ruby red pair of cowboy boots. Effervescently curious, she found equal value in historic buildings, botanical gardens, a fiberglass dinosaur park and bird watching.

She loved unconditionally. Suffered fools not at all. And worked on eradicating all her devils with intensity. JoAnn overcame a lot, survived a lot and doubted herself more than she should have. But ultimately, the balance sheet tipped in her favor. She found joy in mountain landscapes, blooming flowers, newborn babies, fine art, the beauty of the written word and, most of all, her family and friends.

“I’m grateful that I was here this morning to enjoy a gorgeous day with low humidity and air like a good sherry. I’m grateful for friends and foods and flowers, even for Facebook because it enables me to keep up with all of those. I’m grateful that someone I really like is coming home to me in about another 10 minutes.

“So much. So undeserved. What we Christians know as grace, as trying to live life with a heart of humility. We didn’t earn these blessings. We’re not special. These riches are ours by the inexplicable, boundless grace of God.” JoAnn Grose from her ‘You Can’t Eat Ice Cream In the Shower’ blog

JoAnn’s friends, family, and community are invited to celebrate her life on Friday, April 14, in and around JoAnn's adopted hometown of Lexington. You can find details of the service and reception, and RSVP to JoAnn’s celebration of life at https://bit.ly/joanngrose.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances in the form of donations to the Lexington Community Table would be appreciated: https://www.communitytablerockbridge.org/support.